Means for handling bobbins in bobbin strippers and the like



June 17, 1958. R. FERGUSON 2,838,824

MEANS FOR HANDLING BOBBINS IN BOBBIN STRIPPERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 26, 19 56 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

RICHARD F596 USO/Y 4 TIOIPNEKS June 17, 1958 R. FERGUSON MEANS FOR HANDLING BOBBINS IN BOBBIN STRIPPERS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26, 1956 INVENTOR. F/CHAAD Fsnaus 01v moi A A TT'ORNE Y5 June 17, 1958 R. FERGUSON 2,838,824

MEANS FOR HANDLING BOBBINS IN BOBBIN STRIPPERS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 26, 1956 Fig.4

ATTORNEYS June 17, 1958 R. FERGUSON 3,

MEANS FOR HANDLING BOBBINS IN BOBBIN STRIPPERS AND THE LIKE Filed March 26, 1956 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 L J nu INVENTOR. RICHARD rsnauaou MTTOFIVAEMS- Unite rates.

MEANS FOR HANDLING BOBBINS IN BOBBIN STRIPPERS D THE LIKE Richard Ferguson, Charlotte, N. C., assignor to The Terrell Machine Company, a corporation of North Carolina Application March 26, 1956, Serial No. 573,760 7 Claims. (Cl. 28-19) This invention relates to bobbin strippers or cleaners for removing Waste yarn windings for spent textile bobbins, and more particularly to an improved arrangement of the means provided in such equipment for handling the bobbins as they are fed through the stripping operation.

In equipment for cleaning or stripping spinning bobbins or quills, it is common to provide a pair of guide rails spaced for supporting the bobbins at their heads in hanging relation and to move the hanging bobbins serially along the path defined between the guide rails by means of a pair of endless belts trained to present adjacent reaches for laterally gripping the heads of the bobbins. Such an arrangement allows unobstructed access to the depending bobbin barrels for stripping.

In order to maintain the adjacent belt reaches in 1 lateral gripping relation at the bobbin heads it has also been customary to mount pressure bars on or adjacent the guide rails for adjustment in backing relation to the belt reaches, usually with one or both of the pressure bars spring loaded to compensate for belt wear and for variations insize at the bobbin heads. When the pressure bars and belts are properly adjusted, this arrangement gives very satisfactory results, but as the belts wear it is necessary frequently to adjust both the pressure bars and the belts to keep them operating to the best advantage,

and this adjustment is not only a troublesome maiuterangement of the present invention incorporates means straddling the adjacent belt reaches for carrying the pressure bars as a unit and disposed to rest freely on the guide rails so that the pressure bars are carried in floating relation to the guide rails and are, therefore, selfcentering.

In addition, the endless feed belts, which are normal- -ly trained about drive pulleys adjacent the discharge end of the guide rails and about idler pulleys adjacent the entrance end, are arranged according to the present invention on idler pulleys that are'fitted with hoop elemerits of oversize diameter for riding the idler pulleys essentrically beneath the endless belts and thereby rendering the adjacent belt reaches laterally yieldable adjacent the entrance ends thereof so as to improve substantially the action of the belts in engaging bobbins supplied thereto for feeding through the stripping operation.

These and other features of the present invention are described in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bobbin stripper in which 2,838,824 Patented June 17, 1958 the bobbin handling means of the present invention may be used;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view corresponding generally to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

I Fig. 4 is a further detail of the pressure bar assembly shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the arrangement of the idler belt pulleys provided according to the present invention; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail taken substantially on th line 6-6 in Figs. 2 and 5.

As the improved bobbin handling means of the present invention is adapted for use to particular advantage in bobbin strippers of the type shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,132,344, granted October 4, 1938, the drawings illustrate the invention embodied in a bobbin stripper of that type, Fig. 1 showing such a bobbin stripper as comprising a suitable frame structure, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, arranged to support a housing at 12 for stripping means (not shown) of the nature disclosed in the above noted prior patent, with an in.

clined feed chute structure 14 mounted endwise on the frame structure 10 for supplying spent bobbins (not shown) to a guide rail arrangement 16 provided, as previously mentioned, to support the bobbins serially in hanging relation for feeding past the stripping means by endless belts l3 and 18' (compare Fig. 2) trained over idler pulleys 20 and 20' adjacent the entrance end of the guide rail arrangement 16 and over drive pulleys Z2 and 22 adjacent the discharge end thereof.

The guide rail arrangement 16 is shown in further detail in Figs. 2 and 3 in which it is seen to comprise a pair of guide rails 24 and 24' that are mounted on angle shaped supports 26 and 26' which are in turn secured to the frame structure 10. The guide rails 24 and 24 are inset on the angle supports 26 and 26 so as to be arranged flush therewith while extending inwardly therefrom for supporting bobbins, as illustrated at B in Fig. 3 between their adjacent edges. The angle support 26 is arranged at a fixed position on the frame structure 10, and the angle support 26' may be likewise fixed in place but is further arranged for lateral adjustment to vary the spacing between the adjacent edges of the guide rails 2 and 24 so as to provide for handling difi'erent sizes of bobbins B. This lateral adjustment of the angle suport 26' is provided through an adjustment shaft 28 fitted with hand grips 30 for manipulation and geared at housings 32 by suitable worm drive connections (not shown) to studs 34 that are fixed to the upstanding flange of angle support 26.

In order to maintain the bobbins B properly seated on the guide rails 24 and 24, a hold-down bar 36 is suspended from lateral arm supports 38 mounted on the frame structure 10 adjacent each end thereof and arranged to carry guide pins 41) extending upwardly from the hold-down bar 36. These guide pins 40 are carried on the arm supports 38 so that they are displaceable upwardly and springs 42 are disposed on each of them beneath the arm supports 38 for biasing the hold-down bar 36 downwardly to ride the heads of the bobbins B as they are moved along the guide rails 24 and 24'.

As already noted above, the bobbins B are moved along the guide rails 24 and 24 by means of endless belts i8 and 18 that are trained to present adjacent reaches above the guide rails 24 and 24 for laterally gripping the heads of the bobbins B, and provision for maintaining the lateral gripping action of the adjacent reaches of belts l8 and 18 is arranged through pressure bars 44 and 4 disposed in backing relation with respect to the thereon. This leg of the arch members 46 is also formed with an ear portion 5% arranged to overlie the p bar 4-4 when fixed in place at tlie boss portion thereby brace the arch members 46 in upright relation with respect to the pressure bars 44 and 44. The other pressure bar 44- is shiftably' supported by the arch members 46 at boss portions 52' formed in their othe leg for receiving slide pins 54 carried by the pressure bar 4% (see Fig. 4). Also, a bias spring 56 is disposed over each of these'boss portions 52 so as to urge the pressure bar 44 yieldably toward the opposite pressure bar 44 and thereby maintain the pressure bars 44- and 44 yieldably urging the adjacent reaches of belts l8 and 18 together.

The arch members 46 are disposed to rest freely on the top surfaces of the guide rails 24 and 24 or the adjacent flush surfaces of the angle supports 26 and 26, so as to be freely movable with respect'thereto and to maintain the pressure bars 44 and int/likewise freely movable. Substantial movement of the pressure bars 44 and 44 lengthwise of the guide rails 24 and 24 is prevented by the longitudinal spacing of the arch members 4-6 in relation to the lateral arm supports 38 for the holddown bar 36 so that the end arch members 46 are arranged adjacent these lateral arm supports 38 for restraining abutment in either direction. Laterally, however, the arch members 46 have considerable latitude for shifting with respect to the guide rails 24 and 24, and the pressure bars 44 and 44' are thereby made self-centering in relation to the guide rails 24 and 24 because the pressure bars 44 and 44-, being carried as a unit, will always tend to find the'position at which the bobbins B ride easiest on the guide rails 24 and 24; and, as the pressure bars 44 and 44- extend for substantially the entire length of the guide rails 24 and 24', this centering action is influenced by the entire series of bobbins being carried on the guide rails 24 and 24' at any one time so as to result easily without any one bobbin having to force the centering action alone. The pressure bars 44- and 44' are each preferably fitted at their top edge with confining strips 58 and 58 arranged to overlie the top edges of the belts l8 and 18 at thehir adjacent reaches and thereby provide positive means for maintaining these reaches in proper position between the pressure bars 44 and 44'.

In addition, the idler pulleys 2b and 2b are uniquely arranged according to the present invention for carrying the endless belts 18 and 18' (see Figs. 5 and 6). The arrangement of these idler pulleys l8 and 18 is of particular significance because, being disposed at the entrance end of the adjacent belt reaches, they determine the action of the endless belts 18 and '18 in picking up the bobbins B supplied thereto from the chute structure 14 for feeding past the stripping means.

According to the present invention, these idler pulleys and 20 are each fitted with hoop elements 6% and 69 of oversize diameter for riding the pulleys 2t! and 29' eccentrically beneath the endlessbelts 18 and 18'. The hoop elements 61) and 60' are arranged to ride the idler pulleys 20 and 20 beneath the belt flange thereon, the pulley faces being further grooved, as illustrated at 62 and 62 in Figs. 5 and 6, and the inner face of the hoop elements 60 and 60' being shouldered, as illustrated at 64 in Fig. 6, for seating thereon under the riding tension of the endless belts 18 and 13. With this arrangement the adjacent reaches of the belts 18 and 18 are rendered laterally yieldable adjacent their entrance ends and may initially be set closer than the spacing at which they will run when feeding bobbins B therebetween, so that in the i absence of bobbins therebetween they will spring together and act to pick up bobbins B subsequently supplied from the feed chute structure 14 with greater case.

As an example of practical operating relations between the hoop elements 60 and 65) and the idler pulleys 29 and 2%), it has been found that excellent feed action of the belts 18 and 18 is obtained when the hoop elements 69' and 6% are formed with an inside diameter of the order of' /2 an inch larger than the working outside dihe pulleys 2i and 26', so that when the hoop and 69' are seated on the pulleys 2t and 2%? under the tension of the belt 1?; and 13' each hoop element 6t) and 6i) will be free to move laterally of an inch in either direction. The idler pulleys 20 and 20 may then be initially adjusted so that the belts 18 and 18' are held about /4 to of an inch closer together than the standard head diameter for the size of bobbins B to be handled.

When bobbins B are then supplied from the feed chute structure 14- and picked up by the endless belts l8 and E3 the hoop elements 69 and 66' are each pushed or shifted laterally outward with respect to the pulleys 2t) and 2b as the bobbins B are fed along the gride rails 24 and 24. Upon any intermittent feeding of the bobbins E, the hoop elements 645 and 6% will cause the belts 13 and 13' to spring together so as to pick up readily the next incoming bobbins B when feeding is resumed. With this arrangement, a wear of about /8 to of an inch can be tolerated on each belt 18 and 18 without re quiring any adjustment of the pulleys 20 and 29', and with this degree of wear the belts 13 and 18 will need to be replaced, so that a pulley arrangement of this sort will maintain the belts operating to the best advantage for receiving the bobbins B supplied thereto for feeding throughout the useful life of the belts without requiring any adjustment of the pulleys 2t and 20.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a bobbin stripper or the like incorporating means for supporting and guiding bobbins serially along a path while hanging from the heads thereof an improved means for propelling said bobbins along said path, said propelling means comprising opposed elements movable along said path at each side thereof laterally adjacent the heads of said bobbins when supported by said first mentioned means, and means yieldably urging said opposed elements together for gripping said bobbin heads therebetween, said last mentioned means being arranged to rest freely on said first mentioned means so as to be self-centering with respect thereto.

2. In a bobbin stripper, a pair of guide rails spaced for supporting bobbins at the heads thereof to hang between said rails and for defining a path along which said hanging bobbins may be moved serially, a pair of oppositely disposed endless belts having adjacent reaches arranged above said rails at each side of the path defined thereby for laterally gripping the heads of bobbins supported thereon, and means straddling said adjacent belt reaches and yieldably maintaining said reaches in lateral gripping relation with respect to said bobbin heads, said straddling means resting freely on said rails and thereby being arranged for self-centering with respect to the spacing between said rails.

3. In a bobbin stripper, the structure defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that said straddling means comprises a plurality of arch members and a pair of pressure bars, one of said pressure bars being fixed on said arch member in backing relation to one of said adjacent belt reaches, and the other of said pressure bars being carried by said arch members in backing relation to the other of said adajacent belt reaches but being movable on said arch members for adjustment of the spacing between said pressure bars and being yieldably biased thereon for movement to narrow said spacing.

4. In a bobbin stripper, means for supporting bobbins at the heads thereof in hanging relation and for defining a path along which said hanging bobbins may be moved serially, a pair of oppositely disposed endless belts having adjacent reaches arranged above said first mentioned means at each side of the path defined thereby for laterally gripping the heads of bobbins supported thereon, and means comprising a plurality of arch members and a pair of pressure bars for yieldably maintaining said adjacent belt reaches in lateral gripping relation with respect to said bobbin heads, said arch members being disposed in transverse straddling relation with respect to said adjacent belt reaches and resting freely on said first mentioned means, one of said pressure bars being fixed on said arch member in backing relation to one of said adjacent belt reaches, and the other of said pressure bars being carried by said arch members in backing relation to the other of said adjacent belt reaches but being movable on said-arch members for adjustment of the spacing between said pressure bars and being yieldably biased thereon for movement to narrow said spacmg.

5. In a bobbin stripper, means for supporting bobbins at the heads thereof in hanging relation and for defining a path along which said hanging bobbins may be moved serially, a pair of oppositely disposed endless belts having adjacent reaches arranged above said first mentioned means at each side of the path defined thereby for laterally gripping the heads of bobbins supported thereon, means resting freely on said first mentioned means and straddling said adjacent belt reaches for yieldably maintaining said reaches in lateral gripping relation with respect to said bobbin heads, a drive pulley for each of said endless belts adjacent the discharge end of the path defined by said first mentioned means, and an idler pulley for each of said belts adjacent the entrance end of said path, said idler pulleys each being fitted peripherally with hoop elements of oversize diameter whereby said belts are rendered laterally yieldable at the entrance end of said path.

6. In a bobbin stripper, means for supporting bobbins at the heads thereof in hanging relation and for defining a path along with said hanging bobbins may be moved serially, a drive pulley arranged at each side of the path defined by said first mentioned means adjacent the discharge end thereof and at the level of the heads of said hanging bobbins, idler pulleys similarly arranged adjacent the entrance end of said path, each of said idler pulleys being fixed peripherally with hoop elements of oversize diameter, and an endless belt trained from each of said drive pulleys over the hoop element on the respective similarly arranged idler pulley, whereby adjacent reaches of said belts are disposed for laterally gripping the heads of bobbins supported by said first mentioned means and for moving said bobbins along the path defined by said means, and whereby said adjacent belt reaches are rendered laterally yieldable at the entrance ends thereof.

7. In a bobbin stripper or the like, means for moving bobbins along a path while hanging from the heads thereof, said means comprising a pair of endless belts arranged with oppositely disposed adjacent reaches thereof at each side of said path for laterally gripping the heads of the bobbins to be moved along said path, a drive pulley for each of said endless belts adjacent the discharge end of said path, and an idler pulley for each of References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,132,344 Kleeb Oct. 4, 1938 2,149,778 Kirnbirl Mar. 7, 1939 2,267,679 Terrell et al. Dec. 23, 1941 

